“I think I am more competent in military matters than the outgoing president,” Girkin, 52, told Telegram, a former Kremlin supporter who has now become a virulent critic of the government since the Ukrainian offensive. He supports the Russian invasion, but thinks it is poorly executed.
Girkin was arrested in July in government crackdowns on Russian nationalist circles. The veteran is now in jail awaiting his trial for “public incitement to extremist activity”. He risks up to five years in prison, which threatens to undermine his electoral ambitions.
“I don’t have a millionaire friend” like Putin “so I won’t have to give in to their demands to the detriment of the Russian economy,” said the military blogger, known by the name ‘Strelkov’ which is Russian for shooter. Girkin is reportedly close to ultra-nationalist oligarch Konstantin Malofeev.